A rhythm-aware serious game for social interaction

Abstract

AbstractMaking music with others is both an artistic act and a social activity. Music therapists can leverage the social aspects of music to increase the well-being of their patients by interacting with them musically, improvising rhythms and melodies together on shared musical instruments. This activity requires highly trained professionals and is therefore expensive for the clients. We propose a serious game that can help people without musical training interact by collaboratively creating a rhythm using MIDI drum pads. The gaming system analyzes the rhythm in real-time and adds musical feedback that is synchronized to what the users play, enhancing the aesthetical experience that is crucial to the musical interaction and its therapeutic effects. We assessed our system through quantitative metrics showing its capability of following a user-established tempo. Test players also completed a questionnaire, which showed they found the experience pleasant and engaging, and that the musical augmentation was helpful to their interaction.